Differential control mechanism



may 115, 1945 c. MOON 2,375,938

DIFFERENTIAL CONTROL MECHANISM Filed April 2, 194:5

Fig. I

Patented ay H5, 1945 STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 @laims.

Differential gears are used on most automobiles. Under some conditions, particularly where one wheel is on a slippery surface so as to provide practically no traction, that wheel, through the diiierential, merely spins even though the other wheel may be on a surface giving fair tracion.

The present invention is designed to control the diii'erential to prevent complete freedom of one side so as to permit the spinning of that wheel without any particular traction on the opposite wheel. Features and details of the invention will appear from the specification and claims.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing as follows:

Fig. 1 shows a section on the line l-l in Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 a section on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 an enlarged section of the forcing chamher on the line 33 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 an enlarged view of the chamber on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1.

5 marks a propeller shaft, 2 a bearing of the propeller shaft, the bearing being in the differential case 3. A gear l is fixed on the propeller shaft and meshes with a ring gear 5. The ring gear is secured to a supporting housing 6 which has a bearing extension 1, these extensions being carried by bearings 8 in the case 3.

Axles 9 have the usual bearings and supports, and wheels iii are secured to the axles in the usual manner. Floating connecting gears ll have trunnion extensions l2 which extend into bearings 13 in the housing 6. The gears H also have bearing sockets it which receive trunnions l5 of a retarding mechanism for retarding excessive difierential movement. The connecting gears ll mesh with gears H, which gears are fixed on the axles.

The trunnions l5 extend from a case it which is carried by the trunnions. The case is provided with chambers having cylindrical outer walls i8. Eccentrics i9 having cylindrical walls are arranged in the chamber and are secured on the ends of the axle by screws 20. The case is provided with radially extending slots 2| in which impeller blades 22 are slidingly mounted. The blades extend into joint sockets 23 in sleeves 26, the sleeves being rotatively mounted on the eccentrics l9. Springs 25 are arranged in sockets 25a in the case It and yieldingly force the impeller blades into closing contact with the sockets M.

A restricted opening 26 extends through the impeller blades connecting the forcing side and the receiving side of the forcing chamber. In order to maintain a substantially uniform volume of space for the liquid, passages 21 connect the openings 28 with the spring sockets 25a.

ment of the outer wall and ixmer wall of the chamber, determines the retarding efi'ect of the mechanism. These openings should be so proportioned that normal running of the automobile and the differential movement incident to turning corners will be retarded very little, but it should be small enough so that where one wheel has practically no traction and the other has some, the wheel without the traction is prevented from spinning by reason of the retarding efiect of .the liquid forcing devices. Thus it is possible through a considerable acceleration to get nearly complete traction on, the wheel that has some driving engagement with the read.

What I claim as new is:

1. In combination with the axles of an automobile and a'differential for the axles comprising axle gears, a connecting gear meshing with the axle gears, a rotative mounting for the connecting gear permitting orbital movement of the connecting gear, and means driving the mounting; of a liquid forcing mechanism having a chamber with cylindrical outer and inner walls, one wall being locked with the mounting and the other with an axle, said walls being eccentric and forming a closure at one point in the circumference, and an impeller radially movable in one of the walls and adapted to maintain closure between the walls said impeller having a restricted opening connecting the portions of the chamber at each side of the impeller.

2. In combination with the axles of an automobile and a differential for the axles comprising axle gears, a connecting gear meshing with the axle gears, a rotative mounting for the connecting gear permitting orbital movement of the connecting gear, and means driving the mounting; of a liquid forcing mechanism having a chamber with cylindrical outer and inner walls, one wall being locked with the mounting and the other with an axle, said walls being eccentric and forming a closure at one point in the circumference; an impeller radially movable in one of the walls and adapted to maintain closure between the walls, one of the walls being provided with a socket in which the impeller is slidingly mounted, said impeller having a restricted opening connecting the portions of the chamber at each side of the impeller, and a passage leading through the impeller from the restricted opening to the socket.

CARL MOON. 

